Some of
my Protestant friends have asked why Catholics go to confession. What would you
say?

Jesus entered this world to forgive sins. Recall the words of our Lord:
"God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in
Him may not die but may have eternal life." (Jn 3:16) During His public
ministry, Jesus preached about the forgiveness of sins: remember the parables of
the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11ff) or the Lost Sheep (Lk 15:1ff), and His teaching
that "There will likewise be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner
than over 96 righteous people who have no need to repent." (Lk 15:7) Jesus
Himself forgave sins: remember the story of the woman caught in adultery (Jn
8:1ff) or the woman who washed His feet with her tears. (Lk 7:36ff) He also
taught us to pray for forgiveness in the "Our Father:" "Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." His mission
of reconciliation would climax in His passion, death and resurrection: Jesus
suffered, died and rose to free us from sin and death.

However, Jesus never trivialized sin or rationalized it. No, for Jesus, sin
is sin, a violation of love against God and neighbor.

However, in His divine mercy, Jesus called the sinner to realize the sin, to
repent of it, and to be reconciled with God and neighbor.

Jesus wanted this ministry of reconciliation to continue. On the first Easter
Sunday evening, Jesus appeared to His Apostles, "breathed on them,"
and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are
forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound." (Jn 20:21-23)
Only twice in Sacred Scripture do we find God breathing into human beings.
First, in the Genesis account of creation, God breathes the life of a soul into
the man He has created. (Gen 2:7) Now, Jesus, the Son, breathes His life into
His Apostles His priests, so that through them He will "breathe" life
into the souls of contrite sinners. In this scene, Christ instituted the
sacrament of penance and made His Apostles the ministers of it.

At the ascension, Jesus again charged His Apostles with this ministry:
"Thus it is written that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on
the third day. In His name penance for the remission of sins is to be preached
to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of this. (Lk
24:46ff) Clearly, Jesus came to forgive sins, He wanted that reconciliation to
continue and He gave the Church a sacrament through which priests would continue
to act as the ministers of this reconciliation.

Perhaps many Protestants do not see the need for confession because most
Protestant denominations do not have sacraments or at least the understanding of
sacraments as efficacious signs through which the Lord gives us grace. (However,
traditional or "high" Episcopalians have confessions. The Lutherans
also have a ritual for reconciliation.)

Nevertheless, we see this ministry of reconciliation lived out in the early
Church. St. Paul wrote, "God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:18) The Didache
(or Teachings of the Twelve Apostles), written about 80 AD, stated, "In the
congregation you shall confess your transgressions" and "On the Lord's
Day, come together and break bread...having confessed your transgressions that
your sacrifice may be pure." St. Cyprian in his <De lapsis>
concerning the reconciliation of Christians who had succumbed to offering pagan
worship rather than face martyrdom, wrote, "Let each confess his sin while
he is still in this world, while his confession can be received, while
satisfaction and the forgiveness granted by the priests is acceptable to
God." At this time of persecution, when local "parishes" were
small, individuals publicly confessed their sins at the beginning of Mass (as
mentioned in the Didache) and received absolution from the bishop or priest.

After the legalization of the Church by Constantine, the Church fathers
continued to emphasize the importance of confession. St. Ambrose wrote, "It
seemed impossible that sins should be forgiven through penance; Christ granted
this power to the Apostles and from the Apostles it has been transmitted to the
office of priests." (<De poenitentia>) Similarly, St. Athanasius
asserted, "As the man whom the priest baptizes is enlightened by the grace
of the Holy Ghost, so does he who in penance confesses his sins, receive through
the priest forgiveness in virtue of the grace of Christ." (<Contra
Novatus>) By the mid-400s and the pontificate of Leo I, private confession
under the seal of secrecy becomes the norm to safeguard the reputation of the
penitent and to attract others to the sacrament.

Therefore, we go to confession because it is a sacrament given to us by
Christ, and it has always been a practice of the Church.

This sacrament is so important in our sharing in the life of Christ, the
Church has even mandated its practice. To prevent laxity, the Fourth Lateran
Council in 1215 required that "every faithful of either sex who has reached
the age of discretion should at least once a year faithfully confess all his
sins to his own priest. He should strive as far as possible to fulfill the
penance imposed on him, and with reverence receive at least during Easter time
the sacrament of the Eucharist." This rule is still a precept of the
Church. The Council of Trent in 1551 in its <Doctrine on the Sacrament of
Penance> asserted that since mortal sin "kills" the life of God in
our souls, these sins must be confessed and absolved through the sacrament of
penance (a principle repeated by Pope John Paul II in <Veritatis
Splendor>). Trent also said "it is right and profitable" to confess
venial sins.

We could end the answer here. However, regular confession is a healthy
spiritual practice. Each sincere Catholic needs to periodically—every month or
two—do a good examination of conscience holding himself to the standard of
Christ. Each person should reflect on how well he has lived a "Christ-like
life" by following the commandments and the teachings of the Church.

Perhaps one's failures are not so much commissions as they are omissions. For
all of these, we bring our soul to the Lord and receive forgiveness. The healing
grace of the sacrament of penance washes away sin and give us the strength to
avoid that sin again. The more we love the Lord, the more we are aware of the
smallest sins and the more we want to say, "I am sorry. Please forgive
me." I am sure this is why Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II go to
confession weekly. As we continue our Easter celebration, may we take full
advantage of this beautiful sacrament which draws us closer to the Lord.

Fr. Saunders is president of the Notre Dame Institute and associate pastor of
Queen of Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria, VA.

This article is taken from the April 7, 1994 edition of the "Arlington
Catholic Herald."